Casino Royale
by wantingfornothing
Summary: Steve joins Natasha on a dangerous mission to bring down one of Hydra's remaining assets in a high stakes poker game. Based off of the film and set just after Winter Soldier. Rated M for future chapters.


_So this is just the prologue. I thought I'd upload it for now. The first chapter will contain the rest of the train scene. I guess this is technically an AU but I tried to make it fit with MCU canon. Enjoy!_

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The air in the car was chilled. He could feel it wafting in from the vent to the right. The view to the left of his seat revealed that evening was falling over the land. He had studied the other passengers as he waited for her. They seemed to be people of wealth; people who actually belonged here. He felt out of place. As Steve Rogers watched the world whip by him through the train window, he thought about why he had even agreed to take this mission in the first place.

For starters, he did not know the first thing about Poker. And undercover missions weren't really his calling. But Fury had assured him that his presence would be necessary, in case it came to a fight. S.H.I.E.L.D. had collapsed, but Hydra was still at work. Steve remembered the vow he had made to Peggy before he went under- _"I'm not gonna stop until all of Hydra is dead or captured."_ Many of the remaining agents wanted to live to see that day. And Steve felt compelled to help, as always. Fury, along with whoever was left were pooling most of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s remaining resources to make the mission possible. They only had one shot at this.

The man they were trying to bring down was apparently one of Hydra's big bankers, and a mastermind of the criminal underworld; _Le Chiffre_. Hydra's defeat in DC had somewhat crippled his funds. The ground was shrinking beneath his feet, but like S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra was willing to gather its remaining resources. If Le Chiffre won this tournament, Hydra would have the money that they needed to rebuild. This was why Natasha was going in. Of all the agents, Natasha had the edge when it came to Poker. Still, it would be too dangerous to send her in by herself. So Steve was going to go undercover with her. S.H.I.E.L.D. had also flown out around a dozen back-up agents, who would all be staying at different hotels in the area, and remain on standby in case they were needed. Despite Steve's lack of Poker knowledge and experience, the odds of them succeeding were better with two people in the game. Too much money was at stake. It was too much pressure for just one person. In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current predicament they couldn't afford to take risks.

"I'm the money." She appeared out of no where and sat down in front of him with a speed that sent a gust of wind in his direction. As usual though, her movements were ever so graceful as they were swift. She held a silver brief case, which she promptly set down on the table. Steve decided that Natasha clearly had him beat when it came to dressing the part. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a brown leather jacket over a t-shirt. He looked like any average street fellow. But Steve always tried to dress as casual as possible. He liked to enjoy any moments of normalcy that he had. Natasha on the other hand looked like she fit right in with the rest of the train's wealthier passengers. She was dressed in a casual sleek black dress accompanied by a pair of lacey ankle boots and cropped three quarter sleeved sweater. She was stunning. Steve just shook his head to acknowledge her attempt to humour him, and smiled. Natasha looked to the right for a brief moment and chuckled under her breath. Then she turned her gaze back to him, "S.H.I.E.L.D. was able to get us ten million to go in on this."

"Damn," Steve widened his eyes.

"Well, that includes contributions from a certain 'generous' donor,"

Steve mimicked Natasha's playful grin, "Stark?"

She nodded and tried to hold back a chuckle. Neither one of them knew what to say. Steve seemed to be studying her. Once she felt that their stares had lingered too long, she remembered what she had to say next and her smile faded.

Natasha tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "This is going to be a very long and delicate mission, Steve," She paused to study his expression. He showed no signs of discomfort yet so she took a breath and continued. "Forty eight hour tournament, four hours at the table, twelve opponents who can all afford as many buy-ins as they need…And remember if we lose, our government will have directly financed terrorism."

Natasha watched as the realization sunk in. Steve suddenly looked very overwhelmed. She offered a slight smile in an attempt to restore some comfort. She wanted to tell him not to worry but he'd see right through her bullshit. And she didn't want to lie to him. S.H.I.E.L.D. really was going all in.


End file.
